How to Decorate a Wine Box

The DIY is simple, but supposes that you know certain techniques. For example, plastic printing. Though, lacquer printout can always be replaced by any other image available to you. Also some basic knowledge in polymer clay baking and wood brushing with firing are required.

What you need for this DIY:

- pine blank

- wooden decor (10cm by 10cm)

- plastic printout

- acrylic lacquer (Kiva glossy)

- white primer (Turi)

- decoupage glue (Turi)

- acrylic paint (brown, black, raw umber) (Turi, Ladoga)

- medium Plaid Flottage

- water stain (nut)

- polymer clay (Fimo soft)

- stencil with vine leaves (Barocco)

- fine relief paste (Tair)

- burner and gas

- brush for brushing

- colourless wax (Stamperia)

- wax patina (antique gold and copper)

- bitumen wax

- collet's knife

- sponge

- brushes

- toothpicks

- old cloth

- sandpaper (400 and 600, the numbering may vary)

Take the wooden decor, I had a square plywood pad (for glasses), it is necessary to sand it from both sides. Then prime and dry well.

And paint brown from the other side. One layer may be enough. Dry.

If there are bumps after drying, a little sandpaper it, use 600. Prepare the printout.

Soak the printout for 20 minutes. Instead of printing, you can use a napkin, a decoupage supply. All you can work with.

Get out of water, detatch the layers of the film and glue on the white prime. Pressed against the surface well, iron and laid aside to dry.

After the lacquer printout dries out a bit, you can sand the excess on the edges.

When the printout dries completely, apply several layers of acrylic varnish for protection with intermediate drying and sanding. We don't need a perfect surface, so make the layers to your taste.

The ready decoration is aged on the corners and edges with bitumen wax. The excess are washed with a cloth soaked with a clear wax. Put away the wooden piece.

Now take polymer clay and puddle.

Take the stencil, outline the pattern with a toothpick and cut it out.

Apply the pattern of the veins on the leaves.

Leaves should be of different sizes: 5 large, 3 medium and 5 small. To give them a natural shape, lay them on pads of crumpled foil and point the ends in different directions. The number of leaves depends on youк preferences.

Make a bunch of grapes. Roll a sausage, cut off small pieces, make balls of them and the grapes. You need 5-6 pieces. Bake it in the oven for 30 minutes at 110-130 degrees.

After baking, the clay becomes very durable. The edges, if uneven, can sand with a nail file. According to our idea, all leaves and berries are painted brown.

After the paint has dried, make a patina. You can also use some varnish at the end.

remove the excess of paint with a cloth. The paint remains in the hollows. Leave it to dry.

After that, you can cover it all leaves and berries with one layer of acrylic lacquer, strictly making sure the layer was thin and did not flow in hollows.

Start brushing the box. I fired the blank twice with an intermediate brushing and sanding. To make the colour even, I applied nut stain.

Use a metal brush with soft fibers. Move it along the grain. You should get a pleasant surface to the touch.

Apply transparent wax. To make wax sink into the wood, I heated it with a warm hairdryer. Then, take the sandpaper and polish!

Attach the decor with leafs and grapes. Use the relief paste which must be diluted with water to the consistency of liquid sour cream.

Or use prime mixed with PVA (50% to 50%). Add a little raw umber and black paint in pasta. Pour in a bottle with a thin spout. I recommend to mix paint in pasta, not vice versa.

Allow the decor to dry, then paint brown and cover a little with diluted black paint. Varnish after drying.

Some gold for the leaves.

Now it's similar to metal.

Decorate the handle and wrap it with linen twine.

The last stage is to stick the wooden decorative pad and admire. The box is ready!

I hope someone wants to make such a gift to a man. Delight is guaranteed!

And I will be pleased to see your comments and questions.

Yours,

Dona Donum ( Irina Gordeeva)